


A Drowning Sensation [REWRITE]

by orphan_account



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: 6 times as Long., Angst with a Happy Ending, Drowning, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, It's been two years. I rewrote it., Mental Breakdown, MomGwen, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rewrite, Self-Hatred, Suicidal Thoughts, dadvid, takes place after S2E12
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-25 03:25:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14968085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: All Max had wanted to do was prank David.He didn't mean for him to be stuck in the storm.He never wanted to drown.So why was it so calming?AS OF 4/26/19, THE AUTHOR, ACE, IS NOT INTO CAMP CAMP ANYMORE.NOTE: This is a rewrite of a fic by the same name! Please check that out if you want to read the original because it was a direct inspiration!(Thank you to @fa1rydustt on Tumblr for being my beta reader!)





	A Drowning Sensation [REWRITE]

**Author's Note:**

> DO NOT TAG AS MAXVID, MAKKI, MAXNEIL, MAXGWEN, ETC.! THIS IS NOT A SHIP FIC, THANK YOU!

David hummed as he leaned against a nearby oak tree. Gwen was sitting next to him, her focus on her magazine while she made an attempt to pay attention to their campers. It was meant to be a free day, despite being a Friday. Having been exhausted from the week’s events, the two counselors had made the conscious decision to give both the campers and themselves the day off. So, as most children would, they spent this time playing anything that could be registered as an “outdoor kids’ game”: tag, hide-and-seek, you name it. 

 

Nikki had just lunged onto Harrison, forcing him into the role of being “It”, when David felt something dripping on his head. He looked up just to see dark, huge clouds rolling in at a rapid pace as fat drops of water began to fall from the sky. This tugged him back to reality, and he tapped his co-counselor on the shoulder before making his way over to the kids. “Alright, gang,” he said in a positive voice, dripping with an optimism that only one hyped on ecstasy could surpass. “It seems that there’s a big storm rolling in, so you’d best finish up so we can get into shelter, okay?” The kids groaned, getting up from wherever they were on the dirty ground and beginning to follow David and Gwen, the former saying “Campe Diem!” as he led the children to the mess hall. 

 

It was close to pouring by the time they’d reached the building, prompting everyone to break into a sprint, though any worries David had went away when he saw how happy and giggly all of the children were as they ran inside and took their seats. While Gwen made her way to the back, searching for towels to hand out to all of the campers, David spun around, clutching his clipboard.

 

“Roll call!” he chirped, prompting absolutely nobody to look his way; however, it was clear that he’d at  _ least _ caught their attention.

 

He went through all of the names one by one, and after each child responded, Gwen, who had just returned from the back room, would hand them a towel. 

 

“And finally, Max—” 

 

There was no response. 

 

David blinked. “Max? Are you in here?” Everyone looked amongst each other. David went over to Neil and Nikki, Max’s two closest friends at the camp. “Nikki. Neil. Have you, um, seen Max?” 

 

Neil shook his head. “Sorry, David. He was outside with us, I’m not sure where he could be right now…” 

 

Gwen snorted, distracting the three from their conversation. “Knowing the little shit,” she began snarkily, “He’s probably somewhere else in the mess hall or in our cabin, planning our demises.  _ As usual _ .” David let out a sigh. “You’re right.” 

Gwen began to hand out various supplies that the kids could use to pass the time, noting how Nerris had roped Preston and Ered to participate in Dungeons & Dragons with her expansion set, and Space Kid had begun a conversation with Neil about the physical fundamentals of space travel whilst Nikki rolled her eyes. 

 

David, meanwhile, was listening to the rain patter on the rooftops. He jolted at the sound of thunder rumbling as lightning flashed through the windows, frightening everyone except for, of course, Quartermaster, who didn’t even show a sign of flinching. 

 

“I hope Max is okay…” 

 

-...-

 

Max had been hiding through the bushes. He was putting together his best trap yet, meaning that he had no choice but to sneak away from the group during a game of Manhunt in order to work on it. 

 

And finally, he’d completed it. It was meant to be a sort of chain reaction, and it would start with a simple slingshot. 

 

Slinking back over to where Max  _ knew  _ everyone was at, he prepared his attack, aiming the rock (which had “FUCK YOU, DAVID” scrawled on one side) and shooting with a satisfied yelp. He was surprised, however, when he heard the rock just tumble to the ground without hitting anything.  _ What the hell? He was so  _ **_sure_ ** _ that David was standing  _ right  _ there. _ Max leapt out, still aiming the slingshot with new ammo. 

 

Nobody was there, the forest clearing devoid of any life. Max dropped the slingshot. “Okay,” he hissed, “What the actual fuck is going on—” 

 

Max’s question was answered when he was met with a crackle of thunder as it began to pour, increasingly becoming worse as he tried to figure out a plan. It seemed quite clear that  _ everyone _ had made their way back to the campgrounds. Damnit, now he has to walk all the way back alone. Letting out a sigh, he began to walk.

 

It had only been a couple of minutes before the rain had amplified into torrential downpour. Max was soaking wet at this point, but Max wasn’t going to complain. Water was streaming past, rapidly rising as the dirt turned to mud, meaning that Max began to have an even harder time walking as his red sneakers sunk into the ground. Gasping, Max broke into a run, though his tiny legs did not help as much as he would have hoped. He felt genuine relief as the campsite came into view. 

 

“Oh, thank  _ fucking _ God…” Max whispered, running faster but freezing up at the feeling of water up to his waist. A  _ flood?! _ Max felt a wave of panic, running faster to get to the mess hall. Was he going to make it? By the time the building was in sight, the water was up to his chest. Max ran faster, the current constantly dragging him back. Max grit his teeth, running to the door. He leapt, intending to grab the handle on the door for leverage, but his hand grabbed air before the current dragged him under, the muddy water in his mouth blocking out any screams Max had attempted to make. Max felt a pang of fear as the water dragged him farther and farther away from the only place that could be considered asylum right now. Max gasped in pain as his body hit rock after rock, tearing at his skin and clothes. He grabbed a tree as he was pulled away, gripping onto it for dear life. 

 

But the force was too much, and Max lost his grip, drifting away as he went under the floodwaters. Eventually, his desperate attempts to resurface slowed to a halt, and Max closed his eyes, the last thing he saw being a mix of muddy water and his own blood. The boy was locked in a state of equanimity as he let it carry him away. 

 

-...-

 

The clock on David’s watch read “10:34 P.M.” when the rain had finally stopped, the floodwaters depositing into the lake and leaving a muddy mess behind. David gave an excited look to the campers. “Well, gang, it’s awfully bad outside right now, so how do you feel about a  _ sleepover _ in the Mess Hall tonight?!” All of the kids looked around excitedly, happy at the thought. David smiled. “Alrighty then. Gwen, would you mind going around and writing down what each camper wants from their tent for the night?” Gwen nodded. 

 

“On it, David,” she mumbled, yawning.

 

As she went along with the clipboard, Dolph made his way to the window, looking outside at the damage. He saw a lump distantly on the ground, too covered with mud to really identify. David made his way over to where Dolph was when the art camper spoke. “David, vhat animal is  _ that? _ ” the boy asked, pointing at the lump. 

 

David peered through the window. “Dolph, that looks like a ki—” It was then that David pieced it together, whispering  _ holy shit _ under his breath. “ **_MAX!_ ** ” the redheaded man screeched, pushing his way out the doors. Neil heard David’s yell and grabbed Nikki’s arm, the two following him out. The man skidded to a halt next to the unmoving form. Neil was the second to arrive, pressing his hands to the smaller boy’s wrist once David had turned him onto his back.  

 

“H-He has a pulse,” Neil whispered. “It’s faint, but he has a  _ pulse _ .” 

 

Nikki watched in fear as David scooped Max up, sprinting as fast as he possibly could to the Counselor’s Cabin and sending a quick text to Gwen explaining the situation. David let out a sigh. “Nikki, Neil. Please get back to the Mess Hall.” The two nodded obediently, running back. 

 

David looked down at the unresponsive boy in his arms before skidding to a stop outside of the cabin, falling to his knees as he placed Max on the ground, beginning to rhythmically press on the child’s chest in order to force the water in his lungs out. It felt like days had gone by before Max’s tiny body shook, heaving up water before blacking out once again. Letting out a shaky sigh of relief, David scooped him back up again, rushing inside of the Counselor Cabin and setting Max down. Glancing at Max, he grabbed an extra set of camper clothing (it was all Camp Campbell themed) and changed Max into the pair of dry clothing. As David bandaged the bleeding cuts on him, he sighed, trying to piece together the situation as he worked. David stood, walking off to get a sweatshirt whilst deep in thought. How could he have been so  _ stupid?! _ There was no probable way Max would have been in either cabin no matter what! It wasn’t...wasn’t the time to think about that right now. Putting the sweatshirt on Max, David set him in his bed and waited for him to wake up, barely even responding when Gwen came in with Max’s teddy bear, Mr. Honeynuts, and a bottle of water. Gwen set it down, sighing. “David, do you want me to stay with Max, and you can take care of the kids in the Mess Hall?” 

 

David looked up. “...Okay. You’re better with Max anyways.” David got up, stretching, before grabbing a can of Coca-Cola from the mini fridge and his guitar, walking out. 

 

-...-

 

Gwen’s phone said “1:40 A.M.” when Max finally woke up. Only an hour after setting up in the Mess Hall, David had decided to stay with the kids for the night, having walked in to grab a sleeping bag before leaving once again. Gwen didn’t fall asleep, instead watching one of her reality shows at a low volume while she waited for the jaded camper to wake up. She couldn’t blame him; the storm started at 4, and didn’t stop fully until around 10. To be quite honest, it was a  _ miracle _ that Neil had found a pulse. Gwen shook her head. Morbid curiosity would not best her this time. 

 

She barely heard the shuffling of bedsheets and the sound of tiny footsteps over the noise of some mom on TV yelling at another for supposedly sabotaging her daughter’s pageant act. 

 

“G...Gwen?” a quiet, annoyed voice asked. “What the fuck is going on?” 

  
Gwen nearly shot up off of the chair. “Max-I-” she fumbled for the remote, pausing the episode before walking over to the boy, who was standing there, shivering and tired with Mr. Honeynuts in his hands. She knelt in front of him, putting gentle hands on his shoulders. “Max. Are you okay?”  _ Dumb Question, Gwendolyn. _

  
Max just stared at her. “Why wouldn’t I be? Let-Let  _ go _ of me, Gwen.” Gwen just watched as Max wrenched away, instead opting to climb into the other chair, which was meant to be David’s. Gwen noted how Max had simply reacted to her grabbing him; that was  _ definitely _ not just shock from the accident, was it?

 

Gwen smiled sadly, taking the seat next to him. “Do you want to just keep watching this?”

 

“I don’t care.”

 

Gwen just nodded, beginning to click through the channel guide, just in case anything stood out to Max. But there was nothing, so she just kept  _ Dance Moms _ on. 

 

Max, surprisingly, was the one to break the silence. “Why am I in here?” 

 

Gwen turned to look at Max. Max wasn’t looking at her, still fixated on the TV and clutching Mr. Honeynuts tightly. “You, um, almost drowned, Max—”

 

“I’m  _ aware, _ Gwen. How long was I missing?” 

 

“...Six hours.” 

 

Right as Gwen turned her head, she heard a hoarse response. “So, why am I not fuckin’ dead?”

 

Gwen shot around. “Max, what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  
  
Max didn’t look at her. “It means I should be dead, Gwen. Don’t know why you’d care.”

 

Gwen muted the television. “Max. Look at me.” 

 

Max didn’t oblige, looking at Mr. Honeynuts instead. 

 

“Max. You almost  _ drowned _ . You shouldn’t have to feel like you shouldn’t be alive after that. All that  _ matters _ is that you’re alive.”

 

“Puttin’ that Associate’s Degree to good use, huh?”

 

Gwen ignored the comment, continuing to speak. “You don’t have to tell me, or David, or anyone about how you felt about this accident. You don’t have to tell everyone how you really feel. But we need to know that you’re at least  _ okay. _ ” 

 

Gwen made an effort to smile softly, but that went away as Max suddenly leaped over, hugging her tightly (this was hard, though, as he was still very weak and tiny compared to the counselor). Her eyes widened as she heard the faint sound of crying. “Max…” The boy’s eyes snapped open as he realized what he’d done, and he quickly pulled away, furiously rubbing at his eyes. 

 

“Th-That was stupid.  _ God _ ,” Max muttered as he tried to dry his face with the sleeves that were too big for him. Gwen gave him a sad smile, opening her arms. 

 

“Max. It’s fine.” 

 

Max let out a tired sigh, opting instead to curl up next to Gwen, staring at the silent screen flickering in front of them and holding Mr. Honeynuts tight as he blinked away tears. Gwen gently wrapped an arm around him, which Max did not choose to swat away this time. Giving the camper a sad smile, she unmuted the show. 

 

She felt Max freeze up. “Can-Can we, um, change the channel actually?”    
  


“Of course, Max,” she whispered, changing it until they landed on the Food Network. 

 

The two sat in silence for a while, watching people panic over making a dinner using only street foods before Max sighed. “W-When I was drowning, it felt so, so…” The boy searched for words. “...So fucking  _ calm _ , Gwen. I don’t know why it was so scary but I felt like it was fine…”

 

Gwen didn’t respond at first, before only saying two words. “It’s okay.” 

 

It wasn’t long before Max drifted off to sleep, his breathing uneven and shaky, but calm. Gwen grinned, taking a picture for David to see before picking up the boy, singing the camp’s song like a lullaby as she made her way over to the bed, tucking him in before laying in her own bed. 

 

_ Good night, Max. _

 

-...-

 

Everything was so fucking  _ sore _ when Max woke up. His head pounded, and his lungs felt disgusting. Even now, he could still feel the remnants of mud stuck in his hair that would take hours to fully get out from his curls. As his vision cleared, he wearily looked around at his surroundings. Shit, he was still in the counselor’s cabin, wasn’t he? 

 

Turning to look at the clock, he realized that he still had half an hour until it was time for breakfast. He got a pang of hunger and got up out of bed, yawning. His eyes widened as he realized that there were clothes laid out for him, a spare Camp Campbell shirt, a pair of athletic shorts, and a green sweatshirt with the camp logo on it. A pair of socks and his shoes were on the ground. Max raised an eyebrow.  _ Did David leave this for me? _ He thought, walking over silently to the small stack of clothes on the couch. It was then that he noticed a small note, simply signed with gel pens (likely taken from Preston or Nerris). David and Gwen. 

 

How  _ sweet. _

 

Letting out a sigh, Max shrugged it on, noting the bandages all over his body and the colorful band-aids littering his hands and legs. He let out a sigh as he realized that there was no way to hide those, and began to walk out.

 

-...-

 

David and Gwen were conversing quietly as they walked into the Mess Hall, smiling as the kids got their food one by one, sitting down and beginning to eat, conversing with each other, whether it was just casual conversation or planning whatever they were going to do that day. It was a Saturday, after all. 

 

David turned to Gwen, his smile slowly fading as he looked at his co-counselor. “...Do you think Max is alright?”

 

Gwen sighed, looking away. “I hope.” 

 

It wasn’t long until they heard the creaking of a door. 

 

-...-

 

Max took a deep breath before entering the Mess Hall. He was tired, and still disoriented from yesterday’s events. But, if there’s anything he wanted, it was for things to be  _ normal _ , he didn’t want people pitying him and pretending he was a delicate flower for nearly drowning. 

 

_ If anything, he just wanted to forget _ . 

 

As he walked in, the sound of the door closing alerted everyone of his presence. The boy felt a knot in his stomach as everyone, both campers and counselors, went quiet as they turned to look at Max, who looked way smaller, way more  _ vulnerable _ than he usually was. Wanting to keep things like he wanted it, Max just scoffed, instead limping his way over to his regular table, where Neil and Nikki sat. Neil had been giving him a worried glance since he’d walked in, and Nikki still had food in her mouth, having been halfway through eating when Max showed up. The two looked at him as he clambered up, simply glaring as Quartermaster dropped some food on his plate and trudged off, sniffing. 

 

As per usual, Max just picked at his food, moving the eggs around as he slouched with his head leaning on his left hand. He heard the shuffling of footsteps as somebody moved. Max jerked up, nearly dropping his fork as he felt both Nikki and Neil’s hands on his shoulder. “Wh-” Max hissed out, unable to react fully. “What the fuck?” 

 

Nikki tipped her head at him, blinking. “We know what happened, Max. We just wanted to see if you’re okay,” she said, though her voice kept her normal tone. 

 

Neil nodded along at what his best friend was saying, glancing back at Max, who seemed to be making an effort to  _ not _ look at either of them. “She’s right, Max,” Neil added, sighing. “I’ve read up on these kinds of things before, from both my own books and those college textbooks we stole from Gwen a couple of weeks ago. You probably have injuries, both physically and mentally, events like what you’d gone through tends to result in trauma—”

 

Max didn’t feel comfortable with this, attempting to stay calm as Neil drawled on and on about his research, Nikki adding on every now and then to further prove the boy’s point. It was then that Max came to realize that Neil’s lecture attracted the attention of everyone else in the Mess Hall, and the camper could feel everyone’s eyes now burning into his skull.

 

It was so much  _ pity _ , he hated it, he hated when everyone looked at him and brought up trauma and touched him and—

 

Max couldn’t take it anymore. 

 

Making a noise akin to a whimper, he wrenched away from Neil and Nikki, stumbling out of his seat before running as fast as his bruised legs could take him to his tent. He mentally cursed himself for forgetting to throw on his shoes, as he tripped and fell multiple times on his way to the tents. 

 

He couldn’t do this. 

 

With a cry, Max ran into his and Neil’s tent, ignoring how the ground below his feet was soaked, and the air inside his tent was stuffy. He zipped the inside of the tent, and curled up on the bed, his breathing rapid and his head fuzzy. Max could barely focus on the world around him. This wasn’t  _ him. _ Max wouldn’t be having a breakdown right now. Max wouldn’t have run out of the Mess Hall and humiliated himself.  _ Max wouldn’t have been stupid enough to drown in the first place. _

 

-...-

 

David watched it all happen, too quick for him to leap into action. All he had been doing was stand in the corner, discussing with Gwen the possible plans for the week ahead. After he saw Max sit down, he drew his focus away, knowing the boy’s issue with that kind of thing. It wasn’t until he heard the sound of feet hitting ground that David had turned his head, just in time to see Max hobbling out of the Mess Hall in a frantic manner, the slam of the door much weaker than it usually was. Nodding quickly to Gwen, David made his way outside, running until he reached the tent clearing, instead opting to walk towards Max and Neil’s tent, the sound of his shoes echoing against the ground. 

 

David frowned as he neared the tent, noticing how the tent had been closed up. He walked over, kneeling. “...Max?” he asked quietly, awaiting a response. “Everything alright, buddy?” He was met with silence before a hoarse, shaky voice replied. 

 

“L-Leave me _alone_ , David.”

 

David let out a sigh. “Max. I’m going to have to come in, alright, kiddo?”

 

No response. 

 

Standing up, David unzipped the tent and lifted the flap. He was shocked to find Max curled up on his cot, taking heaving breaths as he tugged on his hoodie sleeves. His eyes were wide and manic, and he looked like he was going to rip his hair out at any given moment. David sucked in a breath. “Max…” He leaned down, putting a hand on Max’s head as he would do usually. 

 

While Max would normally respond with swatting hands and a snarky comment, Max  _ screamed _ , frantically trying to push the hand away. David immediately lifted his hands. “Max, buddy. I’m not going to hurt you,” he said, his voice soft and quiet like it had been at the pizza place back during Parents’ Day. After Max’s tantrum died down, David gently scooped him up, and for once Max did not protest, instead opting to curl into David as he cried. Giving a sad smile, David gently took Max’s hand, pressing it against his chest. “You feel my breathing, Max? Try to match that, can you?” Max shook with every sob, but he made an effort to copy David. It had felt like hours before Max fully calmed down.

 

David gently rocked him back and forth before stopping. “Everything alright, Max?” 

 

Max didn’t look at him. “I-It’s so fucking  _ stupid. _ ”

 

David blinked. “...And what do you mean?”

 

Max closed his eyes. “I’ll I wanted was to fucking play a prank on you. And what happened? I almost fucking die, it was so fucking  _ calming _ that I wanted to stay under the water, and now t-the focus is on me. I hate it.  _ I hate it. _ ” 

 

David gently sat Max down. “Max, listen to me,” he said quietly, looking down at the boy. Ma reluctantly looked up at him, furiously rubbing at his eyes as he sniffled. “I’ll tell them not to focus on you. You can have the week off, okay? I don’t want to force you when you’re clearly hurting.”

 

“That’s new.”

 

“Can you at least promise me something?” Max glared at him. “Please tell us, or Nikki, or Neil, if you need to talk, if you need  _ anything. _ Okay?”

 

“Whatever, Camp-Man.” 

 

David chuckled, standing up and holding out his hand. “Let’s get breakfast, then. Stay away from the lake when you, Neil, and Nikki hang out.”

 

“Sure, David.”   
  


The two walked out.


End file.
